5. Monsignor William Lynn of Philadelphia becomes the first senior Catholic official in the U.S. to be found guilty of covering up priestly child abuse; later Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City, Mo., becomes the first bishop to be found guilty of it.

6. The Vatican criticizes the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an umbrella group of U.S. nuns, alleging they haven't supported church teaching on abortion, sexuality or women's ordination.

7. Voters OK same-sex marriage in Maine, Maryland and Washington, bringing the total approving to nine states and the District of Columbia. Also, Minnesota defeats a ban on same-sex marriage after North Carolina approves one. -- President Obama came out in favor of homosexual marriage in the wake of the vote to ban it in North Carolina. I wrote on that here.

8. The Episcopal Church overwhelmingly adopts a trial ritual for blessing same-sex couples. Earlier, the United Methodists fail to vote on approving gay clergy, and the Presbyterians (USA) vote to study, rather than sanction same-sex marriage ceremonies.

9. Six people are killed and three wounded at worship in a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee. The shooter, an Army veteran killed by police, is described as a neo-Nazi. -- I had a chance to visit a Sikh Temple in London while on a trip with the Upstream Collective. You read see more about Sikhism and watch a short video of me and Daniel Montgomery at the temple in London here.

1. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York becames a point man for Catholic objections to required coverage of contraception, sterilization and morning after drugs in Obamacare. -- I was encouraged by Cardinal Dolan's prayer to close out the DNC meeting in Charlotte earlier this year. You can read that prayer and see the video here.

3. Mark Basseley Youssef, an Egypt-born Christian whose work has been condemned by the Coptic Church, provoked rioting in the Muslim world with his film trailer "Innocence of Muslims." He was jailed in California on probation violations.

4. Mormon voters, who enthusiastically backed one of their own for president, acted in ways that helped overcome suspicions of them by other faiths. -- There was much said about Mormonism in the months leading up to the election. Some was helpful, most was not.

5. Pro football quarterback Tim Tebow, whose book about his faith was on the best-seller list, inspired the term "Tebowing" for kneeling in prayer and led to polarized discussions about the role of faith in sports.